The Merchant's Curse
by DeraldSny
Summary: (Omake added!) The Summoner asks Commander Anna about why she's so different from her sisters... and in doing so, learns why there are so many Annas to begin with. Takes place between Books II and III of Fire Emblem Heroes.
1. The Merchant's Curse

Here's another story to tide over my loyal readers while I work on 'Turnabout Of The Night'... enjoy!

ON WITH THE SHOW!

The Merchant's Curse

A Fire Emblem Heroes Fan Fiction

by Derald Snyder

It had been a long, hard battle, but the invading kingdom of Muspell, along with it's sadistic leader Surtr, had finally been defeated once and for all. So tonight the warriors of the kingdom of Askr were resting and recuperating after such a hard-fought victory, including the Order of Heroes, consisting of legends summoned by the hooded man known as Kiran, who himself had come from another world entirely.

As for the summoner himself, he wished to take advantage of this opportunity, now that they had been granted a respite from war for the time being... Walking up the stairs to the commander's chamber, he gently rapped on the door, hoping she wasn't in the middle of changing her armor or clothes...

"Come in," Anna's voice responded. Kiran opening the door and slipping inside, closing it behind him. The red-haired commander was still clad in her battle armor, but her battle-axe and shield had been put away in their proper places. "Oh, hello Kiran. Is there something I can help you with? Are you feeling homesick, now that the war is over?"

"That's not it," the hooded man shook his head. "Actually, Commander, I wished to ask you a personal question, if you'd permit me..."

"Oh?" Anna seemed intrigued, sitting up straight and turning to look the summoner in the eye. "What about, exactly?"

"Well..." Kiran put a hand behind his head. "It's been well established that you are just one of many Annas throughout the worlds... but from what I've observed, all your, um, sisters seem to be money-grubbing merchants- no offense."

"None taken."

"...Well, my question is this- how come you're so different from all the other Annas I've met? Why are you the only one who chose the path of the warrior, instead of being a merchant like all the others?"

The commander blinked a few times at this, before lowering her gaze to the ground, lightly biting her lip. "Do you want the short answer, or the long answer?"

Kiran hesitated for a moment. "How about the short answer first?"

Anna nodded at this. "Okay, short answer: I became an army commander to defy the destiny that has been forced on me and all of my other sisters and family members."

(Forced?) the summoner thought to himself. (Nice way to bait the hook, Commander...) "...OK, I'll bite. What's the long answer?"

"...Part of me was hoping you wouldn't ask," Anna admitted. "But, very well. I suppose it all started with my mother, who was an Anna like I was, and like her mother before her as well. She was curious about the fact that there were so many of us, and almost all of them exactly the same in appearance and personality... so she asked some of the other Annas that visited from other worlds, and eventually found the answer. Sadly, it ended up driving her to insanity... to this day, she's wrapped in a straitjacket in the local madhouse, unless it got burned down by that madman Surtr."

Kiran winced at hearing this. "...Maybe I shouldn't have asked."

"No, no, it's alright," Anna shook her head with a sad smile. "I'll tell you what she found out- the truth about how we all came to be..."

"A long, long time ago, there was a red-headed merchant who wished to expand her business. But, there wasn't much opportunity for such expansion in the country where she currently lived... but then, one day, she heard rumors about an ancient artifact hidden away somewhere, which had the power to breach the barriers between worlds, in effect allowing inter-dimensional travel."

"But of course, said artifact was said to be heavily guarded by all manner of traps, in order to keep it from falling into the wrong hands... but for the merchant, it was just too great of an opportunity to pass up. After all, if she could expand her business to other worlds, not only would she be famous, she'd be rolling in the money."

"So after making all manner of preparations, she set off on her journey to find this world-traveling artifact... eventually, she found the dungeon where it was hidden. And thanks to her reflexes and quick wit, she managed to evade every death trap that stood in her path... Until finally, she reached the chamber where the artifact was held. But as she reached out and took it from its pedestal..."

("INFIDEL! THOU HAST TAKEN THE FORBIDDEN WORLD TRANSPORT ARTIFICE, FOR SELFISH PURPOSES! THOU SHALT BE CURSED UNTIL THE END OF TIME!")

("Ahhhh, WAIT! I'm not some evil emperor or wizard or anything! I'm but a humble merchant!")

("THOU CANNOT DECEIVE ME! I SEE THE GREED AND AVARICE THAT RESIDES IN THY HEART!")

("But, but! It's not about just turning a profit for myself! I make sure all the wares I sell are of the best quality! And if I expand my business into other worlds, it'll be a boon for their economies as well! That's not a completely selfish motive, is it?!")

("...SO BE IT. THEN THY CURSE SHALL FIT THY CRIME! THOU SHALL INDEED PEDDLE THY WARES ACROSS WORLDS, AND ALL THY CHILDREN AND THY DESCENDANTS SHALL BE AS THOU ARE! NOW BEGONE FROM THIS PLACE!")

"...At the time, she didn't really understand what the voice meant," Anna continued her tale. "The merchant did indeed travel between worlds, selling her wares to all who would buy, and became filthy rich as a result."

"And then, she met a handsome man, fell in love, married him and got pregnant. The merchant ended up giving birth to twins... but to her surprise, not only did they look just like her, they both insisted on being called Anna, despite their mother's attempts to name them something else... so they took over the business, and when the time came for them to have children, they looked exactly the same as well!"

"Now the nature of the merchant's curse was apparent... her children, and her children's children, and their children as well... all of them were indeed as she was, bearing her face, her name, and her personality, throughout the generations... all of them Anna, every single time, without fail..."

"W-wait a minute!" Kiran interrupted. "Y-you mean, the reason you're all the same... is because of an _ancient curse?!"_

"That's right," Anna nodded sadly. "Every one of us is cursed to be an exact copy of that original merchant from so long ago... _'we shall be as thou are'_... the only way any of us could have a son is if we adopted one. Perhaps now you see why my mother was driven to insanity..."

"H..holy sh... sugar..." the summoner barely avoided cursing as the weight of the truth hit him. "So that's why you defied your destiny..."

"That's right. I knew there were some of us who were capable of fighting and defending ourselves, so I saw a way to 'bypass' the curse, so to speak. I trained myself in the way of the axe, and when I had come of age, I journeyed to the king's castle and volunteered myself for the army. The knights were apparently caught off guard by that, and brought me to King Gustav himself... It took quite a while to convince him that I wasn't there to sell something, but actually join his forces..." Anna chuckled a little. "I remember saying that I would accept whatever wages he would pay me... it actually caused me _physical pain_ to hold my tongue and not try to haggle with him for a higher wage, so strong was my merchant's instinct... but that was what finally convinced him that I was serious."

"So I managed to work my way up the ranks and eventually become Commander of the entire outfit, though I admit my natural accounting and price haggling ability helped a fair bit with that..."

"Hasn't helped us with our current financial situation," Kiran deadpanned, pointing at a nearby treasure chest that was completely empty. "I've had to send Takumi and Virion into the woods to hunt wild animals just so we can eat..."

"Ah-hahahaha..." Anna put a hand behind her head as she blushed in embarrassment. "It's not my fault my sisters are such effective swindlers compared to yours truly..."

The summoner could only facepalm at this. If it wasn't for the fact that he got along so well with the prince and princess, he would have asked to be sent home a long time ago... (Well, at least now I understand why she never met a get-rich-quick scheme she didn't like... Maybe next time she gets one of those ideas in her head, I'll just cold-cock her with Breidablik before she gets the chance... And if Alphonse or Sharena protest, I'll just say I messed up while trying to summon...) It was the only way to protect what was left of their finances.

~*Fin*~

So what do you think of my take on the origin of all Annas? Let me know in your reviews!


	2. Omake- Insane Mother

Here's an omake to keep you occupied while I keep working on the next part of 'Turnabout of the Night'... Thanks to MKoll for inspiring this one!

ON WITH THE SHOW!

The Merchant's Curse

Omake- Insane Mother

On the outskirts of the Kingdom of Askr, there was an unremarkable looking stone building which resembled a prison of sorts... however, it was actually a madhouse where insane people were sent to so they couldn't harm anyone. Usually no one would have cause to visit such a place- even Surtr himself had basically ignored it.

So it was understandable that the soldier who guarded the entrance would have his suspicions roused by two people in dark hooded cloaks drawing near... _"Halt!"_ he declared, holding his lance at the ready. "Only kin's allowed to see anyone here!"

The duo stopped a few feet away. "I believe my wife might be incarcerated here," the taller one began. Had the soldier resided in the World of Awakening, he would have immediately recognized him as Robin, the brilliant tactician of the Ylissean Shepards. But of course, that was not the case.

"Oh really?" the guard raised an eyebrow. "What's her name?"

"Anna."

"Anna...?! _Ohhh no,_ nice try!" the soldier pointed his lance in the tactician's face. "I know there's a bunch of different Annas running about, and I also know that _this_ Anna's only surviving kin is her daughter, the commander! Now shove off before I run you through!"

"Now, now," the cloaked man waved his hand, "there's no need for violence here... I mean no harm."

"There's... no need for violence... you mean no harm..." the soldier repeated, his grip on his lance slackening a bit.

"I just want to talk to Anna for a bit," the tactician said soothingly.

"You just want to talk to her for a bit..."

"So you will let us through?"

"I will let you through." The guard withdrew his lance and stood aside, allowing the duo to enter.

"Neat trick, Father!" the smaller girl gushed. "Teach me how to do that!"

"Patience, Morgan. All in due time," her father gently admonished as they walked past several iron-barred cells, the people inside either babbling, wailing or clawing at the walls. Soon, the two arrived at a cell containing a woman that almost everyone would recognize as Anna... however, this Anna had a bit of gray in her hair, which was tied into the standard ponytail, albeit mussed and unkempt. "Hello, Anna," the cloaked man greeted.

"Anna...? Who, me? Or do you mean ANOTHER Anna?" The woman spoke as she rose to her feet, her arms restrained by a straitjacket. "Because there are so many of us... SOOOOO many ANNAS... oh YES..."

"Wow, she is insane," Morgan muttered under her breath.

_"I heard that!"_ Anna wailed as she stumbled up to the bars, a crazed look in her eyes. "And do you know why I'm crazy? DO YOU? Because I'm just one of many... _so many_ of us... aaaaall the same... every _time,_ every _where..._ And do you know WHY?!"

"Please, enlighten me," the tactician stated.

"Because...! Because we're all cursed! CURSED, I tell you!" the madwoman babbled. "All because my ancestor was soooo greedy... now EVERY ONE of us is cursed to be an _exact clone_ of her, over and over again, for all eternity! Over and over again, FOR ETERNITY! Isn't that strange?! ISN'T IT?!"

"...Now that IS strange," the man lowered his head slightly. "You see, I knew an Anna very well... in fact, I fell in love with her and got married. And my daughter..."

"Let me guess, ANNA, right?" Anna cut him off. "Just like MY daughter, RIGHT?!"

"Actually, no," he shook his head. "My daughter's name... is _Morgan."_ At this, the smaller girl removed her hood, letting Anna see her facial features clearly. "And as you can see, she is no copy..."

The elder redhead blinked in disbelief. While Morgan had the trademark red hair, it was undone and rolled messily over her shoulders. Her face was freckled, and her eyes were black and beady- nothing like Anna herself. "B... but how? _Hooooowww?! How is that possible?!"_

"That's simple," Morgan's father chuckled as he removed his own hood, revealing a messy mop of white hair. "You see, a silly old curse like that..." He opened his eyes, which glowed red.** "...is no match for the blood of the Fell Dragon Grima."** At this, a dark purple aura surrounded the tactician.

'That's right," Morgan chuckled, suddenly enveloped in a dark aura herself. "Which mean instead of being a money-grubbing merchant... I get to be _Daddy's little villain."_ She threw her head back and laughed evilly, Grima soon joining in...

The elder Anna recoiled, stumbling backward in disbelief. "...N... NOOOOOOOOO! **NNNOOOOOOOOOO!"**

**"YOU DASTAAAAAARDS!"** another Anna's voice yelled, from outside.

"No, Commander! Don't do it!" Sharena cried, her arms tightly wrapped around the younger Anna's left arm.

"Be reasonable! You don't stand a chance against him in combat!" Alphonse tried to reason with her as he restrained her right arm in a similar manner.

_"That's my MOTHER he's torturing!"_ The commander protested as she tried to wrench free.

"I understand how you feel!" Kiran pleaded, his arms wrapped around the woman's waist as he braced himself with his feet in front of her. "But we need his power if we're to combat the forces of Hel!"

"...Why are we working for these idiots again, Daddy?" Morgan asked as she and Grima exited the madhouse.

"Because we have no choice. We are bound by the contract of the summoner," the Fell Dragon explained. "But take heart, child. Sooner or later the contract will be ended, and we shall return to our world. **And then we shall grind it beneath our heels."**

"Yes, Father, as you will," Morgan replied with a sinister grin, the two sharing another evil laugh as they went on their way, ignoring the screaming and cursing of the younger Anna behind them.

*Omake- End*

Grima, you cruel fiend! Anyway, review!


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